England’s hopes of regaining the World Golf Championships-Barbados World Cup this week rest on the capable shoulders of Luke Donald and David Howell, both products of EGU coaching during the 1990s.
Both players were internationals at various levels with England and GB&I during their developing years before gaining full England caps and Walker Cup honours.
Donald, (pictured – photo courtesy of Tom Ward) who celebrates his 29th birthday on the first day the World Cup gets underway, was capped at boys and youth levels before making his full England debut against France at Sunningdale in 1996. He also played in that year’s Home Internationals and before leaving for college in Illinois played 33 times for England. Donald played in the winning Walker Cup teams in 1999 at Nairn and in 2001 at Sea Island in Georgia and won seven of his eight matches.
Howell, 31, won the British Boys Championship in 1993 at Glenbervie and was also capped at boys and youth levels before earning his first full cap in helping England win the 1994 Home Internationals at Ashburnham. He went on to play 22 times for England, culminating in 1995 when he was a member of England’s victorious European Men’s Team Championship side at Woodhall Spa and of the winning Walker Cup side at Royal Porthcawl.
Peter Mattsson, the EGU’s current Director of Coaching said, "Our aim through the EGU National Coaching Programme is to produce the best golfers in the world. To see previous England squad players like Luke and David achieve success provides not only great pride but great role models for our existing amateur elite golfers who will hopefully become the Tour players of the future."
Latest World Cup scores plus Mattsson’s comments on the World Cup can be found by visiting the EGU website at www.englishgolfunion.org.
Contact:
Lynne Fraser, EGU Marketing and PR Manager
Email: lfraser@englishgolfunion.org
Tel: 01526 354500
